Cover Crop Benefits Depend on Biomass: How Much Do You Need?

Author Andrew McGuire explains that most of the benefits of cover crops are related to their biomass production. “Biomass is the measure of additional energy that cover crops put into the biological field-soil system.” He calls out online resources, including PSA’s Cover Crop Species Selector in this March 2025 publication of Washington State University’s Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources. Image: University of Nebraska Extension.